9 days UK itinerary help!
Jul 5th, 2016, 09:09 PM
#1
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9 days UK itinerary help!
Hello all,
My husband and I made a last minute decision to head over to the UK for our honeymoon this fall (9 days, end of Sept- first of Oct). Problem is, we had already booked out our vacation time for a more domestic trip, and only have 9 days...
We fly in/out of London. From there, nothing solid planned yet, but considering:
London-York (2 nights?)-Edinburgh-Scottish Highlands (Urquhart castle, loch ness, have to see wallace monument as I'm a wallace)- Glasgow- Liverpool?- Bath/Cotswolds/Stonehenge?- back to London.
We were also hoping for a day trip to Normandy, but that may not be as feasible as we had hoped. We plan to rent a car for the Scottish portion, but rail/transit the rest.
Thoughts/ any thing we can skip or should add? Or suggestions on where to stay for those portions?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! cheers!
My husband and I made a last minute decision to head over to the UK for our honeymoon this fall (9 days, end of Sept- first of Oct). Problem is, we had already booked out our vacation time for a more domestic trip, and only have 9 days...
We fly in/out of London. From there, nothing solid planned yet, but considering:
London-York (2 nights?)-Edinburgh-Scottish Highlands (Urquhart castle, loch ness, have to see wallace monument as I'm a wallace)- Glasgow- Liverpool?- Bath/Cotswolds/Stonehenge?- back to London.
We were also hoping for a day trip to Normandy, but that may not be as feasible as we had hoped. We plan to rent a car for the Scottish portion, but rail/transit the rest.
Thoughts/ any thing we can skip or should add? Or suggestions on where to stay for those portions?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! cheers!
Jul 5th, 2016, 11:21 PM
#3
Best advice. No to this trip
London is stonking big.
I might look at London, York, Edinburgh
thats it.
If you really have a thing about a stone monument then I might have more of a focus on Scotland and leave London to another trip.
London is stonking big.
I might look at London, York, Edinburgh
thats it.
If you really have a thing about a stone monument then I might have more of a focus on Scotland and leave London to another trip.
Jul 6th, 2016, 05:11 AM
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You really MUST simplify - unless you have already seen all the major sights in London. It is a huge city (biggest in europe) and has and incredible number of things to see/do.
It's not clear how much time you actually have in the UK (is it 9 nights there or do the 9 nights include the day you leave the US, the day you arrive in the UK and the day you leave the UK - so you would have only 6.5 days on the ground)?
In any case IMHO you need at least 5 night for London (4.5 days with the .5 jet lagged) to see much of anything. This could be combined with you Wallace monument in an overnight to Scotland. But it sounds like fitting in more than that won't work.
Lay your trip out day be day, listing where you will wake, where sightsee, any travel (including number of hours based on actual schedules) and where you will sleep. I think this will give you a much better picture of what you have to see/do. (I have nothing against a road trip of the UK, we have done several - but with much more time - and after having already been to London 3 times, so starting with only a couple of days there was not an issue.)
It's not clear how much time you actually have in the UK (is it 9 nights there or do the 9 nights include the day you leave the US, the day you arrive in the UK and the day you leave the UK - so you would have only 6.5 days on the ground)?
In any case IMHO you need at least 5 night for London (4.5 days with the .5 jet lagged) to see much of anything. This could be combined with you Wallace monument in an overnight to Scotland. But it sounds like fitting in more than that won't work.
Lay your trip out day be day, listing where you will wake, where sightsee, any travel (including number of hours based on actual schedules) and where you will sleep. I think this will give you a much better picture of what you have to see/do. (I have nothing against a road trip of the UK, we have done several - but with much more time - and after having already been to London 3 times, so starting with only a couple of days there was not an issue.)
Jul 6th, 2016, 05:49 AM
#7
>>London-York (2 nights?)-Edinburgh-Scottish Highlands (Urquhart castle, loch ness, have to see wallace monument as I'm a wallace)- Glasgow- Liverpool?- Bath/Cotswolds/Stonehenge?- back to London.<<
That is a 3+ week trip . . . and even that would be pretty rushed.
Your 9 days will net you <u>less than 7 full days</u> on the ground.
Do London and Edinburgh w/ a day trip to Stirling and the Wallace Monument. That is all you have time for.
Fly in to London - train to Edinburgh - fly home from Edinburgh.
That is a 3+ week trip . . . and even that would be pretty rushed.
Your 9 days will net you <u>less than 7 full days</u> on the ground.
Do London and Edinburgh w/ a day trip to Stirling and the Wallace Monument. That is all you have time for.
Fly in to London - train to Edinburgh - fly home from Edinburgh.
Jul 6th, 2016, 07:00 AM
#8
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Hmm. Evidently neither of you wants to remain married long if you're both agreeing to this trip.
London is the largest city in Western Europe and the runner-up is half its size. You can spend all your time in London and have scores of things you still want to do. If you have seven nights on the ground (i.e., you leave Saturday, arrive Sunday, depart the following Sunday), then you barely have time for London and Edinburgh with a jaunt to Stirling for the Wallace photo op.
You have confused the relatively small size of the British Isles with "easily drive-able." This is not true. You will not be racing along at Texas interstate speeds. And driving in major cities in Europe sucks - these cities are old, they were not designed for cars, they were not planned by Pierre L'Enfant.
London is the largest city in Western Europe and the runner-up is half its size. You can spend all your time in London and have scores of things you still want to do. If you have seven nights on the ground (i.e., you leave Saturday, arrive Sunday, depart the following Sunday), then you barely have time for London and Edinburgh with a jaunt to Stirling for the Wallace photo op.
You have confused the relatively small size of the British Isles with "easily drive-able." This is not true. You will not be racing along at Texas interstate speeds. And driving in major cities in Europe sucks - these cities are old, they were not designed for cars, they were not planned by Pierre L'Enfant.
Jul 6th, 2016, 07:16 AM
#9
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Hey all, thanks for all the replies. Here's what we had started to map out:
ϖ Friday
¬ Arrive London Heathrow 11:30 AM
♣ Transit to town/lodging/ check-in/ get settled
♣ Lunch/ explore town
• City tour bus?
• London Eye?
¬ O/N London
ϖ Saturday
¬ London to York (train- 2hrs)
♣ Explore town (medieval walled city)
• York Minster, History museum, walking tour of walls
¬ O/N York
ϖ Sunday
¬ York day?
♣ Trains don’t typically run (or frequently get cancelled, on Sundays).
♣ Look into Sunday Carvery for dinner??
ϖ Monday
¬ York to Edinburgh (train- 2.5 hrs)
♣ Edinburgh castle, parliament, mary kings close, royal mile
♣ Arthurs seat, world pub
¬ O/N Edinburgh
ϖ Tuesday
¬ Edinburgh day
♣ Rent car
¬ O/N Edinburgh #2?
ϖ Wednesday
¬ Edinburgh to Sterling (drive ~1hour)
♣ Wallace monument, sterling castle
¬ Sterling to Iverness
♣ Pitlochry or Dunkeld for lunch?
♣ Iverness- Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle
• Cruise loch ness?
• Iverness is also known for it’s whiskey distilleries
¬ O/N Scottish Highlands
ϖ Thursday
¬ Scottish highlands
♣ Perhaps Loch Ness/ Urquhart this day instead
¬ Iverness/ highlands to Glasgow (~3 hour drive)
♣ Return car in Glasgow
¬ O/N Glasgow
ϖ Friday
¬ Glasgow to Liverpool (train ~4hrs)
♣ Lantern theater show? Sporting Event?
♣ Maritime Museum? Albert dock?
¬ O/N Liverpool
ϖ Saturday
¬ Liverpool to London (train ~2 hours)
♣ Day trip to Bath/ Stonehenge?
♣ Theater/show London?
¬ O/N London
ϖ Sunday
¬ Finishing exploring sights London
¬ Depart London-Heathrow 415 PM
Based on some of your tips, looks like we'll be cutting some of that out. Thinking cutting out Liverpool to free up a day or two, and do the return train straight from glasgow or edinburgh to london?
ϖ Friday
¬ Arrive London Heathrow 11:30 AM
♣ Transit to town/lodging/ check-in/ get settled
♣ Lunch/ explore town
• City tour bus?
• London Eye?
¬ O/N London
ϖ Saturday
¬ London to York (train- 2hrs)
♣ Explore town (medieval walled city)
• York Minster, History museum, walking tour of walls
¬ O/N York
ϖ Sunday
¬ York day?
♣ Trains don’t typically run (or frequently get cancelled, on Sundays).
♣ Look into Sunday Carvery for dinner??
ϖ Monday
¬ York to Edinburgh (train- 2.5 hrs)
♣ Edinburgh castle, parliament, mary kings close, royal mile
♣ Arthurs seat, world pub
¬ O/N Edinburgh
ϖ Tuesday
¬ Edinburgh day
♣ Rent car
¬ O/N Edinburgh #2?
ϖ Wednesday
¬ Edinburgh to Sterling (drive ~1hour)
♣ Wallace monument, sterling castle
¬ Sterling to Iverness
♣ Pitlochry or Dunkeld for lunch?
♣ Iverness- Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle
• Cruise loch ness?
• Iverness is also known for it’s whiskey distilleries
¬ O/N Scottish Highlands
ϖ Thursday
¬ Scottish highlands
♣ Perhaps Loch Ness/ Urquhart this day instead
¬ Iverness/ highlands to Glasgow (~3 hour drive)
♣ Return car in Glasgow
¬ O/N Glasgow
ϖ Friday
¬ Glasgow to Liverpool (train ~4hrs)
♣ Lantern theater show? Sporting Event?
♣ Maritime Museum? Albert dock?
¬ O/N Liverpool
ϖ Saturday
¬ Liverpool to London (train ~2 hours)
♣ Day trip to Bath/ Stonehenge?
♣ Theater/show London?
¬ O/N London
ϖ Sunday
¬ Finishing exploring sights London
¬ Depart London-Heathrow 415 PM
Based on some of your tips, looks like we'll be cutting some of that out. Thinking cutting out Liverpool to free up a day or two, and do the return train straight from glasgow or edinburgh to london?
Jul 6th, 2016, 07:32 AM
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You really are determined to make that work, aren't you?
Go ahead and stick with your plan and when you return you can either gloat and declare yourself awesome or admit we were right. I am hoping for the former because I really want someone to go through a whirlwind multi-city trip and make it work.
Go ahead and stick with your plan and when you return you can either gloat and declare yourself awesome or admit we were right. I am hoping for the former because I really want someone to go through a whirlwind multi-city trip and make it work.
Jul 6th, 2016, 07:57 AM
#11
"Trains don’t typically run (or frequently get cancelled, on Sundays)." no they just have a different timetable (less frequent)
I did a business trip like this once in the States,
M) New York
T) Boston
W) Iowa
Th) Georgia
F) Boston again
S) Uk
I made some of worst decisions on that trip
so my concerns is that you arrive jet lagged in london, dump your bags at midday (+ say 1 r 2 hours). City tour bus is just crazy, it is expensive, it doesn't move very fast and since London is big it hardly scratches the surface. (Think going to New York and only visiting the Empire State building 17 and 23 only), plus sitting on a bus with jet lag will have you asleep in minutes.
So before you know it you are back on a train going to York. A Medieval city, with big walls, a massive cathedral, the shambles, a massive free train museum, etc etc etc. Then you want to eat at a cavery! (BTW try Bettys https://www.bettys.co.uk/ for tea but be prepared to queue)
So, much I feel wrong about this steal a day from York and give it to London.
And so it goes on. Loch Ness is just a big Loch hyped by a newspaper in the 1920s, nothing to see here.
The final Saturday is just, well what?
You might do better to try and combine all your London days together. So land and catch a train to York day 1 (dose on the train, but at least you are moving, it requires a hike across London but the tube does it for you. Then put a bunch of London days at the end.
I did a business trip like this once in the States,
M) New York
T) Boston
W) Iowa
Th) Georgia
F) Boston again
S) Uk
I made some of worst decisions on that trip
so my concerns is that you arrive jet lagged in london, dump your bags at midday (+ say 1 r 2 hours). City tour bus is just crazy, it is expensive, it doesn't move very fast and since London is big it hardly scratches the surface. (Think going to New York and only visiting the Empire State building 17 and 23 only), plus sitting on a bus with jet lag will have you asleep in minutes.
So before you know it you are back on a train going to York. A Medieval city, with big walls, a massive cathedral, the shambles, a massive free train museum, etc etc etc. Then you want to eat at a cavery! (BTW try Bettys https://www.bettys.co.uk/ for tea but be prepared to queue)
So, much I feel wrong about this steal a day from York and give it to London.
And so it goes on. Loch Ness is just a big Loch hyped by a newspaper in the 1920s, nothing to see here.
The final Saturday is just, well what?
You might do better to try and combine all your London days together. So land and catch a train to York day 1 (dose on the train, but at least you are moving, it requires a hike across London but the tube does it for you. Then put a bunch of London days at the end.
Jul 6th, 2016, 08:28 AM
#13
Bad (baaaad) plan - plain and simple.
Falls apart on the very first day.
>>¬ Arrive London Heathrow 11:30 AM
♣ Transit to town/lodging/ check-in/ get settled
♣ Lunch/ explore town
• City tour bus?
• London Eye?
¬ O/N London<<
If you land @ LHR @ 11:30A that will be one late lunch. By the time you get through the formalities, travel into London, check in, unpack -- it will be close to 3 PM. You certainly won't have time for a bus tour and will be jet lagged.
And then you leave first thing the next morning. Fruit loops.
Falls apart on the very first day.
>>¬ Arrive London Heathrow 11:30 AM
♣ Transit to town/lodging/ check-in/ get settled
♣ Lunch/ explore town
• City tour bus?
• London Eye?
¬ O/N London<<
If you land @ LHR @ 11:30A that will be one late lunch. By the time you get through the formalities, travel into London, check in, unpack -- it will be close to 3 PM. You certainly won't have time for a bus tour and will be jet lagged.
And then you leave first thing the next morning. Fruit loops.
Jul 6th, 2016, 11:51 AM
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Hmm.
ϖ Friday
¬ Arrive London Heathrow 11:30 AM
♣ Transit to town/lodging/ check-in/ get settled
♣ Lunch/ explore town
• City tour bus?
• London Eye?
¬ O/N London
<b> You can never depend upon weather for London so preplanning the Eye is a fool's game. The "city tour bus" rolls in London traffic, which is horrid on a good day. The transit and lunch issues were covered by Janis.</b>
ϖ Saturday
¬ London to York (train- 2hrs)
♣ Explore town (medieval walled city)
• York Minster, History museum, walking tour of walls
¬ O/N York
ϖ Sunday
¬ York day?
♣ Trains don’t typically run (or frequently get cancelled, on Sundays).
♣ Look into Sunday Carvery for dinner??
<b>Assuming another weird character and line entry would mean you're overnighting in York, the fact remains that trains run on Sunday (who told you otherwise?).
ϖ Monday
¬ York to Edinburgh (train- 2.5 hrs)
♣ Edinburgh castle, parliament, mary kings close, royal mile
♣ Arthurs seat, world pub
¬ O/N Edinburgh
<b>Good luck hitting all your listed sites this day even without listing Holyrood House . . . </b>
ϖ Tuesday
¬ Edinburgh day
♣ Rent car
¬ O/N Edinburgh #2?
<b>Why would you rent a car if you're going to stay in Edinburgh all day?</b>
ϖ Wednesday
¬ Edinburgh to Sterling (drive ~1hour)
♣ Wallace monument, sterling castle
¬ Sterling to Iverness
♣ Pitlochry or Dunkeld for lunch?
♣ Iverness- Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle
• Cruise loch ness?
• Iverness is also known for it’s whiskey distilleries
¬ O/N Scottish Highlands
<b>INverness is no more known for its whiskey distilleries than your own backyard for two reasons: (1) There is no whiskey distilled in Scotland, there is a great deal of whisky distilled there; (2) Inverness is not the home to any distilleries. Indeed, the distilleries closest to Inverness are notable for being relatively unremarkable (Glen Ord, Tomatin). Dufftown is known for distilleries.
It's StIrling. You've already been informed of the BFD aspects of Loch Ness.</b>
ϖ Thursday
¬ Scottish highlands
♣ Perhaps Loch Ness/ Urquhart this day instead
¬ Iverness/ highlands to Glasgow (~3 hour drive)
♣ Return car in Glasgow
¬ O/N Glasgow
<b>Why bother? fly from Inverness back to London instead and do three nights there if you're going to push this type of plan.</b>
ϖ Friday
¬ Glasgow to Liverpool (train ~4hrs)
♣ Lantern theater show? Sporting Event?
♣ Maritime Museum? Albert dock?
¬ O/N Liverpool
<b>What sporting event? Soccer matches are on Saturdays and Sundays and you won't be able to get a Premier League ticket without paying a poo-ton of money, whether it's Liverpool or Everton.</b>
ϖ Saturday
¬ Liverpool to London (train ~2 hours)
♣ Day trip to Bath/ Stonehenge?
♣ Theater/show London?
¬ O/N London
<b>Seriously? You've not even seen anything in London yet and you think you should bugger off for Bath?</b>
ϖ Sunday
¬ Finishing exploring sights London
¬ Depart London-Heathrow 415 PM
<b>There will be no "finishing" because you need to leave for Heathrow around noon to 1230.</b>
ϖ Friday
¬ Arrive London Heathrow 11:30 AM
♣ Transit to town/lodging/ check-in/ get settled
♣ Lunch/ explore town
• City tour bus?
• London Eye?
¬ O/N London
<b> You can never depend upon weather for London so preplanning the Eye is a fool's game. The "city tour bus" rolls in London traffic, which is horrid on a good day. The transit and lunch issues were covered by Janis.</b>
ϖ Saturday
¬ London to York (train- 2hrs)
♣ Explore town (medieval walled city)
• York Minster, History museum, walking tour of walls
¬ O/N York
ϖ Sunday
¬ York day?
♣ Trains don’t typically run (or frequently get cancelled, on Sundays).
♣ Look into Sunday Carvery for dinner??
<b>Assuming another weird character and line entry would mean you're overnighting in York, the fact remains that trains run on Sunday (who told you otherwise?).
ϖ Monday
¬ York to Edinburgh (train- 2.5 hrs)
♣ Edinburgh castle, parliament, mary kings close, royal mile
♣ Arthurs seat, world pub
¬ O/N Edinburgh
<b>Good luck hitting all your listed sites this day even without listing Holyrood House . . . </b>
ϖ Tuesday
¬ Edinburgh day
♣ Rent car
¬ O/N Edinburgh #2?
<b>Why would you rent a car if you're going to stay in Edinburgh all day?</b>
ϖ Wednesday
¬ Edinburgh to Sterling (drive ~1hour)
♣ Wallace monument, sterling castle
¬ Sterling to Iverness
♣ Pitlochry or Dunkeld for lunch?
♣ Iverness- Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle
• Cruise loch ness?
• Iverness is also known for it’s whiskey distilleries
¬ O/N Scottish Highlands
<b>INverness is no more known for its whiskey distilleries than your own backyard for two reasons: (1) There is no whiskey distilled in Scotland, there is a great deal of whisky distilled there; (2) Inverness is not the home to any distilleries. Indeed, the distilleries closest to Inverness are notable for being relatively unremarkable (Glen Ord, Tomatin). Dufftown is known for distilleries.
It's StIrling. You've already been informed of the BFD aspects of Loch Ness.</b>
ϖ Thursday
¬ Scottish highlands
♣ Perhaps Loch Ness/ Urquhart this day instead
¬ Iverness/ highlands to Glasgow (~3 hour drive)
♣ Return car in Glasgow
¬ O/N Glasgow
<b>Why bother? fly from Inverness back to London instead and do three nights there if you're going to push this type of plan.</b>
ϖ Friday
¬ Glasgow to Liverpool (train ~4hrs)
♣ Lantern theater show? Sporting Event?
♣ Maritime Museum? Albert dock?
¬ O/N Liverpool
<b>What sporting event? Soccer matches are on Saturdays and Sundays and you won't be able to get a Premier League ticket without paying a poo-ton of money, whether it's Liverpool or Everton.</b>
ϖ Saturday
¬ Liverpool to London (train ~2 hours)
♣ Day trip to Bath/ Stonehenge?
♣ Theater/show London?
¬ O/N London
<b>Seriously? You've not even seen anything in London yet and you think you should bugger off for Bath?</b>
ϖ Sunday
¬ Finishing exploring sights London
¬ Depart London-Heathrow 415 PM
<b>There will be no "finishing" because you need to leave for Heathrow around noon to 1230.</b>
Jul 6th, 2016, 12:07 PM
#15
Oh crud -- I didn't even see this bit:
>>ϖ Saturday
¬ Liverpool to London (train ~2 hours)
♣ Day trip to Bath/ Stonehenge?
♣ Theater/show London?
¬ O/N London<<
Where to start? You won't have time for a day trip to Bath / Stonehenge. They typically pick up their passengers around 0730 and get you back to London in the evening.
The entire plan needs changing
>>ϖ Saturday
¬ Liverpool to London (train ~2 hours)
♣ Day trip to Bath/ Stonehenge?
♣ Theater/show London?
¬ O/N London<<
Where to start? You won't have time for a day trip to Bath / Stonehenge. They typically pick up their passengers around 0730 and get you back to London in the evening.
The entire plan needs changing
Jul 6th, 2016, 12:45 PM
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♣ Trains don’t typically run (or frequently get cancelled, on Sundays).>
what - trains run frequently on Sunday all over the U K- on main lines like you are taking about hourly or so and cancellations can happen any day- if so there will be another train or bus substitution around the work.
Either book discounted train tickets ASAP on www.nationalrail.co.uk - check on conditions of use - many of cheaper ones not changeable nor refundable - full fare tickets cost a lot - a whole lot sometimes so don't just show up. If flexibility is a key then look into some kind of BritRail Pass that lets you hop on any train anytime - but the cheapest way would be discounted tickets- anyway check prices at the national rail site.
For lots of info on British trains check www.seat61.com- the guru of discounted train fares and British trains in general - a Brit who used to work for the railroads I believe and for general info www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com. If a pass buy it in your home country as not sold at stations in Britain or at least never have been.
You can add a much needed day to London by staying one less day in York if you are only staying there because of the false impression of lack of Sunday trains.
what - trains run frequently on Sunday all over the U K- on main lines like you are taking about hourly or so and cancellations can happen any day- if so there will be another train or bus substitution around the work.
Either book discounted train tickets ASAP on www.nationalrail.co.uk - check on conditions of use - many of cheaper ones not changeable nor refundable - full fare tickets cost a lot - a whole lot sometimes so don't just show up. If flexibility is a key then look into some kind of BritRail Pass that lets you hop on any train anytime - but the cheapest way would be discounted tickets- anyway check prices at the national rail site.
For lots of info on British trains check www.seat61.com- the guru of discounted train fares and British trains in general - a Brit who used to work for the railroads I believe and for general info www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com. If a pass buy it in your home country as not sold at stations in Britain or at least never have been.
You can add a much needed day to London by staying one less day in York if you are only staying there because of the false impression of lack of Sunday trains.
